Taylor Heinicke States Obvious Truth About Being A Backup QB

Taylor Heinicke has zero issues being a backup QB in the NFL.

The scrappy passer is slated to be a free agent after spending the past few years with the Commanders. Heinicke played surprisingly well whenever pressed into service, and there's no doubt he will continue to be in the league for a long time.

Will it be as a fringe starter or as a backup holding a clipboard? While he prefers the former, the second option is still all good in his book.

"Obviously, I would love to go to the Packers. That's been a childhood dream of mine to play for the Packers. Other than that, obviously I want to play. I want to start. If that opportunity doesn't come up, you know, being a backup quarterback in the NFL is probably one of the best jobs in America," Heinicke said during a recent interview with Pat McAfee when talking about his future and outlook.

Taylor Heinicke is 100% correct.

Heinicke hit the nail on the head with his analysis of being an NFL backup. It's a great job. You don't really ever get hit, you still get paid a ton of money and if you do get rushed into a game, nobody really expects you to do anything.

That last point is a little different for Heinicke because he's actually won games as starting QB, but overall the points are accurate.

The former Old Dominion star has earned more than $7.5 million in the NFL along his 26 combined starts between the regular and postseason.

When you look at it that way, he's been vastly underpaid. However, if he keeps earning right around $2 million to wear a headset and not play, he'll be cruising through life.

Is there anyone who doesn't think that'd be an awesome job? If you think that isn't awesome, you might want to recalibrate expectations.

Trust me, you could pay me a fraction of Heinicke's career earnings to be on an NFL roster but never play, and you'd never hear a complaint! We'll see where Heinicke's career takes him next or if he stays with the Commanders. No matter what happens, he has a great outlook on his future.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.